Perusing Perugia

Valda & Claire Casucci (Valda, Saint_Bambi)

A Companion Guide to the Tourist Map Distributed by the Perugia Tourist
Office, Piazza Matteotti, Perugia

OK, OK, I admit it. I am an passionate lover of Perugia, that gem of a
city perched on its hilltop overlooking the valleys of the green heart of
Italy - Umbria. Oh! how it hurts when travelers, eager to get to Florence
or Cortona or Tuscan wherever, whiz past in their bright little rented cars
with hardly a second glance. Don't they know what they are missing? Can't they slow down and spend a few days in this proud little city so saturated
with history? I did, many years ago. I learnt a beautiful language, met and
married a beautiful Italian and lived the dream that is Perugia.

I have written this guide for Slow Travelers who want to experience the
best Perugia has to offer. All you need to do is print out this page, arm
yourself with a map from the Tourist Office in Perugia and you are ready to
discover a new world.

Go to the Tourist Office and get your map

This article uses the numbers from the Perugia tourist map available at
the Tourist Office. Once you are in Perugia, go to the Tourist Office at Piazza
IV Novembre, next to the Fountain in the main piazza. The Tourist Office is
under the arches near the flight of steps and behind the fountain. There are
usually piles of these maps (pictured above) on the front desk in several
languages.

The TCI map of Perugia is included with this article (see below). Click
on it and you will see a larger version. This map does not have the site numbers
used in the article, but will help you see the layout of things in Perugia.

Go see Perugia!

Perugia is a beautiful and interesting city. Not only will exploring
Perugia keep you occupied for days, but it is a perfect base for day trips
to Spoleto, Spello, Assisi, Gubbio, Orvieto, and all the charming little
towns in between.

Perugia is one of the hill towns of Italy, perched on its hill
like a jewel, totally encircled by walls (Etruscan, Roman and Mediaeval).
The city is star shaped and about 500 meters above sea level. As you walk
around the town, there are wonderful views over the valleys. No wonder it
was able to defend itself so well against the various enemies it had over
the years (Assisi, Siena, Rome, etc.).

Perugia is a walker's paradise. Everything is in walking distance and
very accessible; just remember that every time you go down the hill
or the steps, you also have to go up!

It is a very, very lively city being home to two prestigious universities;
one for Italian students and one for foreign students who wish to learn
Italian. So, lots of young people. Very elegant, too; after all, it is the home of Luisa Spagnoli fashion.

Be prepared for some urban sprawl on the outskirts of Perugia - once
you're within the walls you'll forget it's there.

Etruscan Perugia

Perugia has its origins as one of the main cities of the Etruscan civilization
hundreds of years before Rome and the Romans were even thought of and is one
of the major archeological centers of Etruscan remains. If you're really interested,
there is the National Archeological Museum of Umbria adjoining the Church of San Domenico(17) where you can see sarcophagi, inscriptions,
statues and the like dating back to prehistoric, Etruscan and Roman times.
Otherwise, you can see the remains of the massive wall which surrounded the
Etruscan city at (22) where you see "Mure Etrusche" and at (23) where the Etruscan Arch is (the bit on the top is a later
addition but the gateway with its huge blocks of stone erected without mortar
is totally original). Five of the gates to the city are of Etruscan origin
although they were modified a little by the Romans.

The Etruscan Well (Pozzo Etrusco),opposite the side entrance
of the Duomo (1) in Piazza Piccinino, is where the water supply was,
and is well worth a visit (it's an engineering feat and I really don't know
how they did it!). When the 3rd-century BC Etruscans needed water, they sank
an 18-ft. wide shaft more than 115 ft. into the pebbly soil under Perugia.
To support the cover over the well, they built two massive trusses of travertine
that have stood the test of more than 2,000 years. You can climb down past
the dripping walls to a bridge across the bottom. Scary!

An out of town, half day excursion can be made to the Ipogeo dei Volumni,
the 2nd century BC tomb of the Etruscan Velimna family situated at Ponte San
Giovanni. It is a lavish construction with various rooms containing relief
carvings and funerary urns. What appears to be wooden beams supporting the
roof are actually the ceiling cut out of rock. Very evocative and if Etruscans
are your thing you'll have a great day (not over-run with other travelers,
either!)

Roman Perugia

Then the Romans moved in, raped the Sabine women, merged with the Etruscan
tribes and Perugia became a Roman city. The Romans built strong walls with
gates into the city. At (14) is the Porta Marzia with the name
of the Emperor Octavius Augusta Perusia emblazoned triumphantly over
the top to mark the capture of the city and his defeat over a bitter rival.
He had the city burned to the ground after the siege, burned with all her
wealth of monuments and temples (they didn't do things by halves in those
days!), so, apart from the walls and gates and a few inscriptions, there is
little trace of Roman architecture to be found. The Romans were probably happy
just to build strong walls and houses suitable for a fortified town. This
no doubt fostered the warlike character of the Perugians which was to be so
evident in following centuries.

Lots of invasions by barbarians followed and the history of the Goths,
Vandals etc. for domination is a twisted and violent one. Italy was ravaged
by war, plague and famine. Perugia didn't escape untouched. It fell into the
hands of the Goths after a terrible seige. St. Ercolano, the patron saint
of the city, tried to save the city with a cunning ruse. He didn't succeed,
angered the Goths in the process and was put to death in a rather nasty way.
He was stripped of his skin from the neck downwards, beheaded and his body
thrown into a ditch. Eeek! There's a very interesting octagonal shaped church
dedicated to him on the spot where he was martyred (15). It isat the end of one of the many flights of steps which take you from one
level of the city to the other.

Perugia became even more warlike as her citizens fought to survive. Perhaps
(who knows) here were the origins of one of the Perugians' favorite games
in later times - two teams indulging in rock throwing competitions on what
is now Corso Cavour. Winners were the ones who killed most men on the opposing
side!

Over the centuries Perugia, engaging in countless small wars, innumerable
treaties, self-interested alliances and outright bullying, managed to subdue
all the neighboring towns and become "top doggie" of all of Umbria. Wars were
waged against Siena, Spoleto, Gubbio, Todi and, of course, Assisi. It was
when he was captured and imprisoned in Perugia that the conversion of St.
Francis of Assisi took place. St. Francis and St. Dominic supposedly met each
other once in Perugia, embraced warmly and went on their way. A plaque commemorating
the meeting-place of can be found with lots of searching and eagle-eyes about
three quarters of the way up Corso Garibaldi on the right hand side, going
towards to Porta Sant'Angelo (31).

Mediaeval Perugia

Mediaeval Perugia is the one most in your face. The city is a tangle of
dark, narrow, twisty lanes and byways. The whole area inside the fully encircling
town walls is up and down, in and out - the original city is little changed.
Around the Palazzo dei Priori (3) (the powerful city rulers were called Priori) and down Via dei Priori alongside it, there is a labyrinth
of little streets which are pure Middle Ages; Via della Gabbia (where
wrongdoers were placed in a cage as punishment and people threw rubbish at
them) and Via Ritorta are good examples.

Just explore at will, it's very evocative and you can see examples of the Doors of Death if you look hard. These were narrow, pointed doors built
high up from ground level with no steps leading to them. They were only opened
when somebody died to take the body out. This was supposed to fool Death into
not knowing how to get back into the house!! There is a good example just
behind the fountain (not working) at the beginning of the Maesta della
Volte(20). It has steps leading up to it now but there it is over
a meter above ground level.

Piazza 1V Novembre is the heart of Perugia with the Duomo (Cathedral) (1) on one side and the Palazzo dei Priori (3) on another, and
wonderful little boutique shops/bars in mediaeval buildings on another. The
Duomo is supposed to house the Virgin's wedding ring - believe it if you want
to - and you can see it on July 30th and on the second-to-last Sunday in January
each year, traditionally the wedding anniversary of Mary. Three popes are
buried there including Martin V who died from eating too many eels at a sitting.

The best thing about the Duomo is the steps leading up to the main
door. This is where everyone sits - students, tourists, children, residents,
everyone - to watch the world go by and to just gaze in wonder at the Fontana
Maggiore (2) which is considered to be an artistic miracle. It is the
creation of two sculptors from Pisa, Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, who executed
a splendid fountain in a symphony of pink and white stone. It is decorated
with exquisitely carved panels showing the months of the year, astrological
signs, Aesop's fables, mythical monsters and a million other eclectic themes.
Luca, our grandchild, loved the pictures on it, the pigeons sitting on it
and the various pizzas which he ate while clinging to the rails. It is lovely and there are whole books written about all the scenes/people engraved
on it.

Go into the Palazzo dei Priori(3) up the big staircase from
the Piazza, under the mythical griffins (Perugia's symbol) and take a look
at the astonishing Sala dei Notari where the town councilors used to
meet. It's a vaulted hall, covered with 13th century frescoes and with high
wooden stalls and steps of walnut. It's beautiful.

You can also wander into the principal doorway of the palazzo which is
guarded by two big, stone beasts - a griffin and a lion (symbol of the Guelphs
who were Perugia's rulers). It's a vast stone vaulted hall, these days used
as the entrance hall to the various art exhibitions. The National Art Gallery
of Umbria is housed upstairs and you can see exhibitions of the exquisite
paintings of Perugino. (You can't afford a painting but you can buy
a poster to frame later. We did and it's in our kitchen reminding us of glorious
Perugia.)

The Corso Vannucci, named after the painter, Perugino, who was Pietro
Vannucci, is the main street of Perugia. It is closed to traffic and is lined
with lovely and expensive boutiques, bars, shops and outdoor eating areas.
This is where the passeggiata (the stroll) takes place every night
but particularly on Fridays and Saturdays. Just be there after about 7.30pm,
link arms with each other and stroll up and down from the Cathedral steps
to the wall at the end (about 250 meters) and then come back again as many
times as you like. The hum and the thrum of people talking and laughing is
exciting.

Along the Corso you will also find Sandri's, a bar with amazing
pastries and good coffee. Their windows are a display case for their artisan
work. We usually go to Caffe di Perugia in Via Mazzini for its evocative
surroundings, excellent coffee and hot chocolate to die for. If you're interested
in shopping you can window shop at will at the frighteningly expensive boutiques
along the Corso with their up-to-the-minute alla moda stuff, the dernier cri of Italian fashion.

Just past the Benetton shop, about 50 meters up on the right is a great
gelateria, Antica Gelateria Veneta, with an impressive range of flavors
and quite reasonable prices. There's a flight of steps nearby which leads
down to Via Bonazzi and another section of mediaeval Perugia to discover:
go lose yourself in it.

Nearly at the end of the Corso Vannucci is the dazzling Rocca Paolina
(8). This is the great fortress of Pope Paul III who built it to subjugate
and terrify the Perugians. The Perugians were pesky Pope haters who went to
war very enthusiastically with whichever pope was in power. The Pope eventually
got sick of their resistance to his "salt tax" in 1540. He razed the entire
district of Borgo San Giuliano to the ground, destroying all the towers and
houses of the hated Baglioni family who opposed him. He built a great fortress
on top of their buildings. Over a hundred houses, as well as churches and
monasteries were destroyed and used as building material and as substructures
for the fortress. It served as a great oppressor and Perugia lay under its
bitter shadow until 1848 when a change in power allowed a freer method of
government. The Perugian population tore the fortress apart literally stone
by stone. The whole town joined in its devastation and tore down the entire
top level. There are gardens and late 19th century buildings where
its top level used to be. You can now go down into the bottom level of the
Fortress by way of an escalator and you can wander through the streets and
houses of the razed buildings. It is extraordinary and it's free. Don't miss
it!!!! There are often exhibitions, shows, dances etc in the eerie old spaces.
Fantastic.

Just as a little point of interest, the Perugian bread is still made without salt; a relic of those distant days when they boycotted the use
of salt to defy the Pope! If you're like me and need your daily dose of salt,
you'll need to ask specifically for "pane salato" at the bakery.

Parallel to the Corso Vannucci are Via Baglioni and Piazza Matteotti. Lots
of traffic but very, very atmospheric. Behind the Palazzo del Capitano
(12), which is a lovely building with a balcony where the Capitano spoke
to the populace, is the Mercato Coperto (theCovered Market).
The market is on three levels, with haberdashery on the first level (check
out the terrace at the back with a magnificent view of the old red
rooftops of Perugia), vegetables/fruit on the second level down, and meats/fish
etc on the third level. To go down, use the staircase on the left as you enter
the haberdashery section. Just inside the entrance to the second level is
a porchetta stall where you can buy wood oven rolls filled with spicy,
whole, spit roasted pig freshly sliced on the spot. A huge roll will cost
you about 2 euro. The little man behind the counter has been there forever.
I remember buying porchetta from him in 1967 when I was a student there!
You can put together the makings of a gourmet meal here in the market for
practically nothing. If you like fresh eels you can select your own from seething
tanks; I can't come at it but, hey, who can account for personal taste?!

On Tuesday mornings there is a ceramic sale of pots, bowls, jugs, plates
etc on the back steps of the Duomo. It isn't top-quality artisan work, but
is reasonably priced. Even if you don't it's just a very colorful and interesting
display of Deruta ceramics with traditional designs. Fun to watch what people
buy, too!

Have a slice of the best take-away pizza in Italy at the little pizzeria
"Giancarlo" at the top of Via dei Priori (3). It comes out in
huge slabs from the ovens and you can buy big slices for about 2 euro, more
or less. Always fresh because that's where the Perugians buy their take-away
pizzas!

Perugia Walks

There are any number of long or short walks which take you to interesting/unusual/romantic/picturesque
parts of Perugia. Here are just a few suggestions!

Tempio di Sant'Angelo

Go to the Tempio di Sant'Angelo (30). This is where my husband and
I met in 1967 so it has a special place in our family history. It is a 5th
century Roman temple probably built on the site of an early Etruscan temple.
To get there, go up Corso Garibaldi and keep walking until you come to Via
del Tempio, turn right into the street leading to the simple, exquisite little
round building.

There are generally students and mothers with children sitting on the lawns
and enjoying the sunshine. Not too many tourists, usually. The stone bench
on the far left as you enter the little square is "our" bench.

The church inside is very spare, simple and quiet. All the columns are
different, filched from other sites when the temple was originally rebuilt.
The upper windows are of alabaster.

Once outside again, go down the flight of steps to the Porta Sant'Angelo
(31). You can walk around the outside of the town walls for quite some
distance and it gives you an idea of the countryside and also the massiveness
of the walls.

Oratory of St. Bernadino

Walk down the entire length of Via dei Priori(3) to the
church with the most beautiful, delicate facade I know, the Oratory of
St. Bernadino (35). A wonderful cycle of sculptures, depicting Saints
and Celestial Hierarchies, and the Glory of S.Bernardino are important examples
of the Perugian Renaissance style. The 15th century interior, in the Gothic
style, contains the tomb of Beato Egidio, a Roman sarcophagus from 4C A.D.
Take your camera!

Next to it is the abandoned church of San Francesco al Prato (36). It is immense but unusable. It started crumbling as soon as it was built because
it is on unstable soil and it was also too big and heavy. I don't think you
can go inside but you can sit on the lawns outside with the students
(part of the university is nearby) and just enjoy being in Perugia.

Via dell'Aquadotto

A short walk from the back of the Duomo (1) takes you to the Via
Appia and Via dell'Aquadotto (37) where you will find the aqueduct
built in 1215 to bring water into the city from Monte Paciano. The aqueduct
is now a walkway fringed by quaint little houses with characteristic terracotta
tiled rooftops, windows festooned with pots of geraniums and doors with brightly
polished doorknockers. It's fantastic.

Via della Proma

Walk up Via del Sole from Piazza Dante (near the Duomo) and onto Via della Proma. There's a really special view of the walls and valley
from the top. The view of the winding staircase that leads to the Etruscan
Gate at the bottom is special. It's a great photo of the staircase as you
go down.

San Pietro

Outside the city walls, at the end of Borgo XX Giugno, is the richly decorated
church of San Pietro(18) with its slender and elegant bell
tower. It was founded by the Benedictines in the 10th century and, as well
as the stunning frescoes, has an important collection of manuscripts. Once
again, you'll find students everywhere here as it is part of the University.
Next to it is the stupendous reconstructed Mediaeval Botanic Garden with all its herbs, symbolic trees and plants and mystical motifs for you
to walk around (self guided tour pamphlets available).

Monumental Cemetery

For something really, really different go for a half day (at least!)
jaunt to the MonumentalCemetery (27) along Via Cialdini. It's
a long walk (good for working off all the gelati and pastry calories) past
the Church of S. Maria di Monteluce. You could take a taxi or the bus,
of course! Here you will find the Italian way of death and the reverence and
dedication with which the Italians care for their deceased. There are miniature
(and not so miniature!) chapels, pyramids, rotundas, sarcophagi and ornate
family mausoleums. There are underground galleries of stacked tombs all ablaze
with flickering votive candles and and fresh flowers. You can ramble through
the old section and maybe see a funeral procession with the huge wreaths on
easels being carried behind the hearse.

Chrysanthemums are exclusively used for death in Italy. Do not take them to your dinner hostess as a gift.

Perugia Festivals

There are several very important festivals in and around Perugia during
the year. They cater for all tastes and are not put on just for the tourists.
They are very deeply felt and supported by the locals but you are welcome
to join their party if you are in the vicinity. Here are a few of the festivals
in Perugia:

Umbria Jazz in mid July. Two weeks of unbelievable music held
in every corner of the city. Guest artists come from all over the world
and give performances outdoors and in in the most spectacular venues. Many
are free.

Sagra Musicale Umbra in mid September celebrates sacred music
and choral symphonies. Once again, guest artists from all over the world
in evocative venues.

Classic Perugia generally in late September presents concerts,
conventions master classes and exhibitions in theatres and historic sites
throughout the city.

Eurochocolate in mid October is a celebration of the food of
the gods and transforms the city of Perugia into an animated open air pastry
shop each year. Amateur and semi-professional courses, exhibits and other
events are held at the Gourmand Theater, the International Chocolate Gallery
and Piazza del Bacio. This is a unique festival and stars the most important
sweets industries in Italy and abroad. Lots to see but, best of all, lots
to taste.

The Christmas season starts from about 6th December.
Just about every church sets up a Presepio (a nativity scene) often with
hundreds of figures, in the tradition that St. Francis started. Some are
huge and elaborate, some are of dubious artistic quality, others are extremely
old and valuable, but almost all their settings are beautiful.

Enjoy Perugia!

You'll find all sorts of other nooks and crannies, not mentioned here,
which will interest you and delight you. You'll make a list of your own favorite
things, just as I have. And don't worry foodies, along every street and in
every corner you'll find something to tempt the taste buds.

In Perugia you'll have the opportunity to experience the life of a vibrant
Italian provincial city, lived in by real Italians going about their real
lives, little influenced by mass tourism. What more could a Slow Traveler
want?

Valda Casucci, an Australian of Italian origin, went to Italy to discover
her heritage and to learn Italian in Perugia. Whilst she was there she met
her now-husband. They have lived in both Australia and Italy, returning to
Italy regularly to nourish their souls!

Her daughter, Claire, has made several trips to Perugia and is completely
under its spell. Next year she will be following in her mother and sister's
footsteps, living and studying in Perugia.